Station-indicator.



R. M. PETERS & L. WARREN. STATION INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.26. I914. 1,146,514., Patented July 13, 1915.

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R. M. PETERS & L. WARREN.

STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION mso SEPT-26. 1914.

1,146,514. Patented July 13, 1915.

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ROBERT M. PETERS AND LOGAN WARREN, OF LEBANON, ILLINOIS.

STATION-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1915.

Application filed September 26, 1914. Serial No. 863,738.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT M. PETERS and LOGAN VARREN, citizens of the United States, residing at Lebanon, in the county of St. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Station-Indicators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in station indicators and has for its object to produce an inclicator which shall be simple and comparatively economic of construction, accurate in operation and of enlarged capacity.

lVith these ends in view our invention consists in the details of construction and arrangement hereinafter more particularly described and as illustrated in the drawings.

In order that those skilled in the art to which our invention appertains may know how to make and operate our improved indicator and to fully appreciate its advantages, we will proceed to describe the same referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure l is a fragmentary section of the top of a car with our indicator in position. Fig. 2 is a similar view taken at a right angle to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section at one side of the center. .Fig. 4, is a vertical section at a right angle to that shown in Fig. 1, but with all but one of the indicator plates removed to avoid confusion of lines and Fig. 5, is a front and obverse view of one of the indicator plates.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

1, is a casing adapted to contain the mechanism in operative position and this casing may be made of any suitable material (preferably cast iron), and adapted to be secured to the end 2, of the car by suitable screws 3. The front of the casing at its upper part is provided with a display opening 4, closed by a glass 5, through which the indicator plates or signs may be observed as they are successively brought into position.

6, is a shaft journaled in the ends of the lower part of the casing as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and secured to this shaft are two disks 7 provided. with peripheral recesses 8, in which are located bow springs 9 secured by suitable fastenings 10 at one end.

Keyed to the shaft 6 between one of the disks 7 and the adjacent end of the case is a ratchet pinion 11. Arranged in vertical alinement with the shaft 6 is another shaft 12, journaled in the ends of the upper part of the casing and to this shaft is secured two disks 13, smaller in diameter than the disks 7 and formed with peripheral recesses 14 somewhat narrower than the recesses 8 in the disks 7. Keyed to this shaft 12 between one of the disks 13 and the end of the casing and in vertical alinement with the ratchet pinion 11 is a second ratchet pinion 15.

Loosely mounted upon the shaft 12 is a vertically disposed bar 16 carrying at its upper end a gravity dog or pawl 17, adapted to engage with the ratchet pinion 15, and

at its lower end a similar dog or pawl 18 adapted to engage with the ratchet pinion 11.

To the upper end of the bar 16 is connected a rod or cord 19 which is so disposed in the car that it may be readily reached and pulled by the conductor when it becomes necessary to display an indicator plate to announce the next street or station.

The indicator plates as shown at Fig. 5 have different indications on the two sides, on one side for instance, is Kinney & Oak St. and on the other side WVestover Square so that with any given number of individual plates, a number of stations twice the number of plates may be displayed, as will be presently explained. These plates up to near their extremities are of a width adapted to fit and be received in the recesses 8 of the larger disk 7 while the extremities are reduced as shown at 20 to a width to fit and be received by the recesses 14, in the smaller disks 13. The number of indicator plates which may be carried by the larger lower disk 7 will of course depend upon its diameter and the distance between the peripheral recesses.

It will be seen that the adjacent faces of the two disks 7 and 13 are so spaced that when the disks 7 in their rotation bring a recess into registering relation with a recess 14 of the disks 13, the reduced extremities 20 of the indicator plate carried by the disks 7 will be received in the recesses 14 of the disks 13 and the rotation of said latter disks will draw the indicator plate out of the recesses in the disks 7. In the continued intermittent rotation of the disks 13 the plates carried thereby are successively brought into alinement with the display opening 4, where they may be seen through the glass 5.

Assuming for illustration that the exposed side of the plate at the display opening contains the names Kinney St Oak St, it will be seen that after said plate has passed the display opening it will be deposited in an empty recess 8 of the disks 7 with Kinney & Oak St. against the wall of the said recess, so that when this plate again reaches the point where it is taken upby the disks 13, the obverse side containing the street name WVestover Square will be exposed, when said plate is again brought opposite to the display opening l. Thus it will be seen that with any given number of plates, stations of twice the number of plates may be utilized.

1 will now describe the details of construction and operation by which the indicator plates are successively presented to View.

On leaving a station which has been indicated at the display opening, the conductor pulls the cord or rod 19 which will cause the bar 16 to rock upon the upper shaft 12, and the dog or pawl 17 contacting with one of the teeth of the ratchet pinion 15 will rotate the disk 13 a distance sufficient to bring an indicator plate to view. The lower end of this bar moving in the reverse direction to its upper end, the pawl or dog 18 will ride over the tooth of the ratchet pinion 11 and the lower disks 7 hence will remain stationary while the upper disk is rotated, but when the cord or rod 19 is released a strong spiral spring 21 connecting the upper end of the bar 16 with the casing returns the bar to its normal vertical position. In this reverse movement of the lower end of the bar 16 the dog or pawl 18, bearing against one of the teeth of the ratchet pinion 11, will cause the disks 7 to rotate a distance equal to that between two of the recesses 8 and during this movement the upper dog or pawl 17, rides over the teeth of the ratchet pinion 15 and consequently the upper disks 13 remain stationary while the lower ones are rotated. In this movement of the disks 7 an indicator plate carried thereby is engaged at its reduced ends in the recesses 14, of the disks 13 and the next pull upon the cord or bar 19 will as before explained draw the plate radially out of the recesses 8 of the disks 7.

By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings it Will be seen that the number of recesses in the two disks are such that as the indicator plates are successively taken up by the upper disks, recesses in the lower disks are left vacant as indicated in dotted lines, so that after said plates are successively displayed and moved below the display opening they are automatically transferred to the vacant recesses of the lower disks,

When the route of a car is reversed it will of course be necessary to reverse the action of the indicator and to accomplish this we provide the rotative shafts 22 to which the dogs or pawls l7 and 18 which are journaled in the ends of the bar 16, with square outer ends adapted to receive a suitable key which may be entered through key holes 23 in the end of the casing so that by reversing the dogs or pawls the rotation of the disks 7 and 13 will also be reversed and consequently the indicator plates may be presented to view in reverse order.

It will be seen especially by reference to Fig. 3 of the drawing that the casing 1 is of such form in cross section as to guard the outer or open ends of the peripheral recesses in the disks, so that the indicator plates cannot become accidentally displaced from said recesses.

It will be understood that we do not wish to be limited to the character of material used in the construction of the indicator nor to the exact details of construction as.

both may be varied without departing from the spirit of our invention which resides in the generic feature of an indicator in which the station indicating plates or cards are successively transferred from carrier disks to other disks which in turn present them to view; and automatically reversing the plates in the carrier disks in order that any given number of plates may be utilized to indicate stations twice the number of .the plates.

Having described the construction, operation and advantages of our improved station indicator, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A station indicator comprising a casing adapted to be secured to the end of a car and provided with a display opening and having mountedtherein shafts in vertical alinement, two disks upon each shaft, the disks upon one shaft'overlapping the corresponding disks on the other shaft, said disks being each provided with circumferential recesses, indicator plates with reduced ends located in the recesses of the lower disks and with the reduced ends extending beyond the outer faces of said disks; means for alternately rotating the upper and lower disks, and means exterior of the casing for operating the mechanism by which the disks are rotated.

2. A station indicator such as described comprising a casing having a display opening and adapted to be secured to the end of a car, and provided with upper and lower rotative disks, the lower disks adapted to carry and deliver indicator plates and the upper disks adapted to receive and present to view' the indicator plates; ratchet pinions secured to the shafts of the respective disks; a vertically disposed pivoted bar carrying gravity pawls at each end engaged with the respective ratchets, means for actuating the bar and means for restoring the bar to normal position whereby the disks are alternately rotated in the same direction.

3. A station indicator such as described, comprising horizontal shafts in vertical alinement carrying disks provided with recesses adapted to receive indicator plates, said disks on one shaft overlapping the corresponding disks on the other shaft and being laterally spaced therefrom, means for alternately rotating the upper and lower di'sksin the same direction; and springs within the recesses of the lower disks adapted to hold indicator plates until they are r moved from the lower disks by the rotation of the upper disks.

4. A station indicator comprising a carrier provided with means for accommodating a plurality of indicating members, rotatable displaying means, and means for alternately actuating the carrier and displaying means to successively deliver the indicating members from the carrier to the displaying means when the latter is stationary.

5. A station indicator comprising a carrier provided with means for accommodating a plurality of indicating members, rdtatable displaying means, and means for operating the carrier and displaying means, said carrier successively delivering the indicating members directly to the displaying means during the stationary intervals of the latter, said indicating members being moved by the displaying means and wholly supported thereby in a visible position.

6. A station indicator comprising rotatable displaying means provided with means in its periphery to receive a series of indicating members, a movable carrier to successively deliver the indicating members directly to the displaying means to be carried by said means in its rotation to a visible position and subsequently returned to the carrier.

7. A station indicator comprising rotatable displaying means provided with means to receive a plurality of indicating members, a rotatable carrier, means on the carrier to yieldingly hold a plurality of indicating members thereon, and means for alternately rotating the carrier and the displaying means to successively dispose the indicating members in position to be removed from the carrier when the latter is stationary and the displaying means is rotated.

8. A station indicator including a rotatable carrier provided with means to receive a circularly arranged series of indicating members, rotatable displaying means to singly remove the indicating members from the carrier and successively dispose the same in a visible position, and means for alternately rotating the carrier and displaying means.

9. A station indicator including a rotatable carrier provided with means to receive a circularly arranged series ofindicating members, rotatabledisplaying means adapted to singly remove the indicating members from said carrier and dispose the same in a visible position, and means for rotating the carrier and the displaying means to successively return the exposed indicating members to the carrier and position one of the members on said carrier to be engaged and removed by the displaying means.

10. A station indicator including a rotatably mounted carrierprovided in its periphery with means to receive a series of indicating members, rotatably mounted displaying means arranged in overlapping relation to the carrier and also provided with means in its periphery to receive the indicating members, and means for rotating the carrier and the displaying means to successively deliver the indicating members to the displaying means to be carried thereby to a visible position and subsequently returned to the carrier.

11. A station indicator including a rotatably mounted carrier provided with means in its periphery to receive a plurality of spaced indicating members, rotatablymounted displaying means disposed with relation to the carrier to singly remove the indicating members therefrom and successively move the same to a visible position and then subsequently return said members to the carrier, and means for actuating the carrier and the displaying means.

12. A station indicator including a rotatably mounted carrier, rotatable displaying means, said carrier and the displaying means each being provided with means for receiving a plurality of indicating members, said displaying members being mounted with relation to the carrier to singly remove the indicating members therefrom and successively display the same and then subsequently return said members to the carrier, and means for alternately rotating the carrier and the displaying means.

13. X station indicator including spaced rotatably mounted carrier disks, each provided in its periphery with means to receive a series of spaced indicating members, displaying means consisting of spaced disks having portions lapping upon the carrier disks and provided with means to engage and singly remove the indicating members from the carrier disks, and means for alternately rotating the carrier disks and the displaying disks to successively remove the indicating members from the carrier disks and display the same and then subsequently return said members to the carrier disks.

14. A station indicator including spaced rotatably mounted carrier disks, means on each of said disks for yieldably holding a plurality of indicating members thereon, rotatably mounted displaying means to singly remove the indicating members from the carrier disks, and means for rotating the carrier disks and the displaying means to successively display the indicating members and subsequently return the same to the holding means on the carrier disks.

15. A station indicator including spaced rotatably mounted carrier disks each provided with spaced recesses in its periphery, springs located in said recesses to yieldingly hold a plurality of indicating members upon said disks, displaying means consisting of spaced rotatably mounted disks lapping upon the carrier disks, and each provided With means in its periphery to engage the ends of the indicating members and singly remove the same from the carrier disks, and means for actuating the carrier disks and the displaying means to successively display said indicating members and subsequently return the same to the respective recesses of the carrier disks for engagement by the holding springs.

In testimony whereof We hereunto aflix our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

W. R. BRADLEY. J. G. DEE,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 13.01 

